//------------------------------//
// Chapter 13 (Pt 1) 
// Story: Your Friends From Across Time 
// by EquestrianKnight97 
//------------------------------//

You walked along the dry dirt road within the forest southeast of Ponyville, surrounded on both sides by trees still imbued with their gorgeous autumn colors. It was still a bit early in the day --- noon had not yet arrived --- but you felt a urging this morning to just... walk around. After breakfast at school, you went to one of the town's parks, taking in the environment around you without essentially interacting with any other creature there. Eventually, you got tired of the small space and decided that you needed to be somewhere more vast, and that led to you your journey to the woods.

You had no idea where you would go once the forest path had ended. You knew that Sweet Feather Sanctuary and the Everfree Forest were close to where you were, but if you were being honest with yourself, those places had little appeal to you today. But despite that, you were still surprised that you were able to journey outside the school for the first time ever since the festival five days ago. For the most part, you stayed mostly in your room, listening to the radio, which mostly consisted of news about the damages and refugees, and less about the idenities of the deceased or tranced.

Sadly, the past few days have been on your mind since you woke up today. There was no visible trigger once you opened your eyes --- your existence was enough to be a reminder of what had happened. The festival attack, the journey to the future, the faraway sight of your home smoking underneath the sunset, the emergency meeting, and the spells performed in the headmare's office --- all replayed themselves in your head when you got out of bed, when you were in the bathroom, when you ate at the cafeteria, and when you left the school.

But as rousing as those memories were, what was really at the forefront of your mind was the event that transpired just two days ago. The day after the emergency meeting, you were called back to the headmare's office, where you were met once again by Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst, Trixie, and Sonnet Philosophy. You were told that they would be attempting to transfer the ethereal spell that sent you to the future from your essence into Sonnet's, so that the task you were given by the mysterious voice would be left up to the professor.

Like before, you were instructed to lay upon a magical circle on the floor, with Sonnet's head nearly on top of yours as he laid on the other side. The other three unicorns followed all of the guidelines needed for the spell to work, but despite their best efforts, there was no transfer of magic from you to Sonnet. A second attempt was made once more, with the headmare taking Sonnet's place, but the results were still the same. 

You were sent out of the office with the assurance that all four of them would keep trying to find a solution to the impending problem that did not come at the risk of your life. But though you knew that the ponies were trying their best, you feared deep down that you would have to go back into the unknown that was the future --- where hidden dangers could be waiting for you.

With your head down for most of the latter half of the journey, you were surprised when the shadows of the canopies went away, replaced by a lighting that shone on the dirt road. Looking up, you saw that you were no longer surrounded by trees and that the path ahead seemed to decline --- indicating that you were about to come down a hill. 

Careful not to tumble down, you took your time descending the bulky slope, staying on the road so that the friction would keep you balanced. You looked over to your right, where distances ahead were the treelines of the Everfree Forest, which was very distinguishable from the other forests near the town due to the fact that the leaves retained their dark green hue. You knew that the Treehouse of Harmony was somewhere in the middle of the forest. It was a popular spot for students after school, though you had never been there yourself.

But today would not be the day you went there. You were perfectly content with staying within the town's boundaries for now. Besides, once you turned your head to the left, you saw something that drew your attention more than a youth hangout would be able to.

Roughly a mile southwest of the hill you were walking on was a camp, a large collection of tents and wagons of various colors. Small pillars of smoke were rising from all over the camp, likely from firewood, and you could spot a few creatures walking back and forth. Just behind the camp were the roofs of several of Ponyville's buildings, showing that the place was not far from the town. The sight of it reminded you of a music festival that you had been dragged to before, but soon you were overcome with embarrassment once you remembered why the camp existed in the first place.

You had forgotten that just two days ago, nearly a thousand refugees from Canterlot came to Ponyville with whatever they could bring. As well, nearly five hundred guards were stationed here, with their base being at town hall. Most of the refugees were set up at this camp, though a lucky few, mainly families, were able to be housed in buildings in town that had enough space. Two of those places happened to be both the Castle of Friendship and the School of Friendship, with the headmare gladly offering rooms and free meals at the cafeteria.

You were a bit taken aback waking up to find vacant dorm rooms filling up with adults and their families, even though very few students had left the school since the emergency meeting. You had even spent some time near the refugees when at breakfast, and some were even roaming around Ponyville's streets, having conversations about the small home of most of the Elements of Harmony.

You stopped in your tracks, resting at the foot of the hill with your eyes glued to the campsite. You remained stationary for what must have been a few minutes, withstanding even the wind that blew through the hairs of your coat, until eventually, you lifted a foreleg to take a step forward before immediately placing it back on the ground. The urge to wander there was still present, as you had a desire, though a recent one, to find something of interest to you. But the fear of finding the wrong answer kept you at bay at the same time, as you could already see your world crashing down the moment you learned of a painful truth.

"HEY, [Y/N]!"

A loud feminine voice rang out somewhere near you, and you twisted and turned your body in all directions until you looked towards the Everfree Forest, where an orange and yellow object was flying in the air. As it got closer, you realized that the object was a creature of some sort, based on how you could spot the wings. And within a few yards, the creature landed right in front of you on the road, revealing themself to be a very familiar dragon.

"Professor Smolder?" you asked in confusion.

The dragon slowly approached you, as she had to be careful with the clear plastic box she was carrying in both hands which held many objects, excluding the mess of rope that was around her neck.

"Hey there!" the professor greeted with a grin. "I didn't expect to see you this far away from the town."

"I like to take long walks sometimes," you answered, though your curious eyes were on the box she was holding. "Can I ask what you're doing?"

"Oh. I'm just gathering stuff for the folks at the camp behind you. Me and a few volunteers have been all over town getting things and then coming back. I was just leaving the animal sanctuary with some feed when I saw you on the road."

You looked up at her, frowning a bit. "I thought the soldiers here were responsible for taking care of the refugees."

"They are," Smolder confirmed. "But they mainly hand out food and water. You know --- the essentials. Most of the refugees weren't able to get all their stuff before leaving Canterlot, so they've been putting out requests for random things to make life a bit easier for them. And with the semester canceled, I figured I use my time to help those in need. And with some many creatures, I've been busy. This is my fifth run today, and it's not even afternoon, yet!"

You took a quick inspection of the box again before addressing your teacher. "And you've gotten all of this stuff for free?"

The dragon shrugged. "Well, only a few not-very-important things were free. Despite everything that's happened, creatures can't afford to turn their businesses into charities. Most of this stuff I had to pay for with my own bits, but I was able to sign out a few IOU's, so technically some of this stuff is free, at least for today."

"Oh, I'm sorry about that."

Smolder chuckled. "It's alright. I'm still getting paid by the school even with this crisis, so I'm set. At least I have a good home and creatures to rely on. Can't complain about that, really."

You nodded. "That is true."

To you, Professor Smolder was an alright teacher. She was usually cool and collected when lecturing, and as far as you were aware you never saw or heard of her losing her temper at anycreature. Thus, you were really surprised to have learned from Professors Ocellus and Silverstream that the dragon once had a very rebellious and firey attitude back when she was a student at the school. 

The dragon unfurled her wings and flapped them, lifting herself off of the ground. "Well, I don't mean to keep you from your walking. I just saw you and wanted to say hi. I'll be on my way to the camp to drop this stuff off before seeing if there's any more requests."

Smolder barely got ten yards away before you lifted a hoof towards her. "WAIT!"

The dragon stopped midair and turned to give you a puzzled look. "Is everything alright?"

You gulped before stammering out a few words. "Well... I-I, um... I was t-thinking that..."

Though you had gotten your professor's attention, you were not confident in whether or not you wanted to be committed to what you were planning. The thought of finding an unpleasant truth returned to plagued your mind, along with the possibility that you would just come across dead ends in the form of clueless creatures who had no idea of what you were asking them. Was it simply best to just go back home and wait for the authorities on the radio to give you the updates that you've been longing for? Eventually, there would have to be news about the deceased and the tranced victims.

But once you were collected enough to look at your professor, your sight soon passed her and landed on the camp. In a move that caused you to nearly gasp, a golden warmth spread throughout your chest when the tents and wagons camp to your vision, and with it came a sense of longing that seemed to wash away the stain of doubt and fear. 

"I... I wanted to know if there's anything I could do to help the camp," you finished, surprising the dragon, who floated back to you.

"Are you sure about that? I mean --- you don't want to finish your little stroll or something?"

You shook your head. "I'm good. I don't mean to stay for more than a few hours before heading back to the school. But..., I'm curious to see if I can do anything here. I mean, I would want help in a time when I needed it, and it must be right to do a good thing."

The dragon silently contemplated the thought to herself with an unsure face, until she finally cracked a beaming smile. "Alright then! Sure, you can help! There's a reception desk near the front of the camp where I'm heading. I'm in a bit of a hurry, but when I fly there and drop this stuff off, I'll tell them about you and they'll give you something to do."

You nodded again. "Thank you, professor."

Smolder chuckled. "I gotta say, [Y/N], you've never been any trouble in class, but I never really thought of you as an attentive student, either. No offense."

Out of politeness, you grew a small smile, though you did not know if it was genuine or not. "None taken."

"But," she continued, "I am glad to see you've embraced the second tenet of kindness that I always stress in class: a creature who helps others essentially helps themselves, too. Lots of well-to-do creatures would turn from a sight like the camp. Sure, it's not a good thing to see others in distress, but ignoring them doesn't work, either." The dragon turned around and flew off. "You'll get a lot of good karma from this! I promise!"

You watched as your kindness professor shrank and shrank into the distance until you could barely see her. Once that was the case, you picked up your legs and began to march through the grass towards the camp. The karma comment replayed itself in your ear, and in a way you were ashamed. Though you would be helping creatures in need, you had your own hidden motives for being in such a place.





You handed the can of baby formula over to the orange earth pony mare, who placed it in a basket on the ground that held another can and some over-the-counter medicine. With the can out of her mouth, the mare looked behind her at two foals near the opening of a tent mashing toy stallions together while making rambunctious, miscellaneous noises. 

"Thank you so much for bringing us all of this, young man," she said to you with a smile. "I was really worried that the requests wouldn't come through until tomorrow. The essentials are important, but it's good to know that the kids will have their hooves busy while we're all here."

You nodded. "You're welcome, ma'am. Is there anything else that I can do for you? Like any more requests?"

The mare shook her head. "No. I think we're be okay for now. There's enough formula for Frazzle to last a week, and the cold medicine should help Dasher with his cough. But thank you for your concern. I just hope that we'll be back home before the month is over, even if the new house will be missing some old things."

"Well, I heard that the weather teams in Cloudsdale won't be delivering snow here anytime soon --- given recent events. So you don't need to worry about it being too cold."

The mare sighed. "That's a real relief. It's good to know that somecreature is thinking with their head up there. But still, it's all just a shock. I had so many plans for the family next month, especially once Hearth's Warming came, and now with these explosions and monsters happening all over Equestria, it just seems that the holidays this year won't be really festive for anycreature."

You yourself looked over to the playing foals and the mobile baby crib next to a foldable chair, where you could spot a single foal lying within. "It's rough right now, but I'm sure the princess will take care of everything."

"Oh, I have faith, too. But still... Well, thank you again. I won't keep you busy."

The mare turned began to walk over to the chair, but you managed to halt her progress. 

"Wait," you said aloud, causing the mare to pause in her tracks.

"Is everything alright?" she asked you. "I don't think I forgot anything."

You moved up closer to her. "I just have a quick question is all. I know it's unlikely, given how many of you left Canterlot, but if you could just tell me if you recognized some creatures before you left, I would greatly appreciate it."

The mother stared at you with a blank, uncertain face. "Well, I can try if I can. Who exactly do you think I might have saw?"

You gave a quick detail of your background, including your name and the fact that you were from Canterlot. You then provided information on your family to her, including their names, race, physical descriptions, and occupations. You even mentioned the part of the city where they lived. But once you finished explaining yourself, the mare bestowed you a pitying frown as if you were a lost kitten or puppy.

"Oh, my dear," she said with dolor. "I'm so, so sorry. I don't remember ever seeing anycreature fitting your story before leaving the city. But... But... I'm sure that maybe I just missed them. Maybe they're here somewhere, or maybe they were one of those that got their consciousness taken away. They just have to be somewhere." 

You know she meant well. As a mother herself, she could easily imagine the fear of not knowing what happened to those close to her once something truly bad had happened. And yet, you had to resist the twitching urge to scowl at her for her palpable pity for you, a fault that you strongly scolded yourself for in your mind as unwarranted.

"Well..., thank you for being honest with me," you said with a fake smile. "I'll be going now. If you need any more help, just go to the reception desk."

The mare sat back in the chair she was in before you came by her tent. "I will. Thanks for reminding me. And good luck on your search!"

With a nod at her, you turned around and went over to a small wooden cart parked on the grassy lane between the two rows of tents and wagons. Amongst the various items littered throughout you grabbed a small clipboard holding a pencil and a few written layers of papers. Taking the pencil out, you crossed away at the wording of "Tent 67", along with the list of requested items below. 

"Next one is Tent Forty-Two," you said before putting the clipboard back.

You moved around the side of the cart to reach its front, where a metal harness was held in place by two poles. Working your way around the necessary steps, you finally got your torso within the harness, and once that was done you pulled the cart behind you as you walked through the lane and headed to your destination.

Once you had arrived at the reception desk of the camp, you were quickly given the task of delivering supplies and other items to creatures upon the workers realizing that you were the pony that Smolder had mentioned to them. The workers quickly explained to you the organization of the tents and wagons, all of which held their own unique number and were organized into several rows. Thus, you only had to make a few short turns before reaching the next tent, though it could have been a wagon as well.

But you took your time in reaching the next location. Aside from not wanting something from the cart to fall out from a bump in the lanes that you might run into, you wanted to get a good look at the inside of the camp.

Despite being less than a week old, the place gave off the ambiance of an old shanty town. The tents were of various sizes, with most being of a medium built meant to hold at least four creatures, though there were also extremes on both ends. The largest tent you laid your eyes on since coming here reminded you of the ones that usually held religious events, and of course, there were also tents for a single creature to live in. The wagons here were old and rickety for the most part, though some were a bit colorful, reminding you of the retired wagon that Counselor Trixie once showed off during orientation. Regardless of their size or complexion, each tent and wagon had a number sign either attached to it or placed on an adjacent pole in the ground.

With each tent or wagon you passed by, you were careful to see if you could spot an opening into its interior, though not too sluggish to be tardy with your duties or impede others' progress. So far, most creatures were out of their cramp homes, walking or flying about or simply conversing with one another. Whenever you failed to spot someone of familiarity through those openings you looked for, your eyes scanned out the inhabitants around you. But so far, the ones you searched for were nowhere in sight. 

But you would have to put your search on pause for now. You had arrived at your second destination today --- an orange circular tent with a pointy roof that had a sign labeled "42" hung up above the entrance flaps. Keeping your harness on, in case nocreature was here, you approached the flaps and cleared your throat. 

"Hello? Is anycreature inside? I got some items for Tent Forty-Two."

Just seconds later, you heard a muffled collection of noises from the other side of the flaps, along with what sounded like static. You backed yourself and the cart away just in time for a male griffon with blue and white feathers to come from inside of the tent.

"You said that there's stuff for this tent?" he asked. "Tent Forty-Two?"

You nodded. "Yes. Did you request the walking cane, bowl, lamp, and a pillow?"

The griffon smiled politely, floating over to the back of the cart. "Ah, yes. We do need those things."

You quickly undid your harness and joined the griffon. "Do you mind if I help you out?"

The griffon frowned. "Thank you, but it's not that much."

"I know. It's just that I have some questions to ask everycreature in the tent. That's all. So I figured I help out a bit."

"Oh. Well, sure then."

You had grabbed the lamp with your forehoof and the cane with your mouth, while the griffon collected the other items. You followed him into the tent, where you were greeted by a glowing orange atmosphere with a brown tint. Occupying the tent, besides two bunk beds, a sleeping bag, and a glass table holding an active radio, were an elderly male griffon in a rocking chair, a middle-aged female griffon knitting what looked like a sweater while also sitting in a chair, and two child griffons sitting on the rug of the tent while playing a board game.

The male griffon approached the female one, who lifted her eyes and ceased her work. 

"It's just a volunteer, Mom," he said before leaving the pillow on top of the sleeping bag on the ground. "They brought over the stuff we asked for."

The female griffon smiled at you. "Well, that's very generous of you to spend your time helping us," she said. "You can give the cane over to my father over there. Gale will take the lamp off your hooves." 

Upon hearing his name, the male griffon floated over to you and held out his claws, by which you handed over the handle of the lamp. You walked over to the elderly griffon on the right side of the tent and gently placed the walking cane on the "wall" right behind his chair.

The elder looked at his new cane before slowly and shakily turning his sight on you, his eyelids barely revealing anything.

"Thank you so much, youngster," he spoke in a creaky voice. "As you can see, I'm not as sturdy as I used to be. Poor Gale basically had to stay by my side ever since the monster attacks. I didn't have enough time to get my old stick from the house when all that terror happened."

You gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm glad you can get around on your own again, sir. Is there anything else you need?"

Slowly, the elderly griffon shook his head. "Nope. Gale, Gerlinda. Is there anything that you or the little ones want?"

"No, Grandpa," Gale answered. 

"I'm pretty sure we're all okay for now, Dad," replied the female griffon as she continued knitting.

"Well, then," resumed the elderly griffon, "I guess you're free to go, youngster. There's others that need help."

"Actually, um..., there's one thing I need to ask you," you admitted awkwardly. "It's a bit personal to me."

The elderly griffon frowned in confusion. "And what would that be?"

Like before with the earth pony mother, you explained to him all the relevant information about the members of your family, in the hopes that it would jog his memory in case he did come across them. When you were done delivering the details, there was a near silence in the room that was uncomfortable, even with the radio going off about irrelevant, simple subjects. You noticed that the elderly griffon's frown had become one of pity, and when looking behind yourself, Gale's and Gerlinda's faces each held a picture of discomfort.

"I'm so sorry," the elderly griffon apologized. "As old as I am, I feel like I would have noticed someone like the ones you mentioned. Then again, it was crowded at the safe zone before we left Canterlot."

"I can't remember seeing those creatures either," Gale admitted gravely. "Like Grandpa said, there were a lot of us that evacuated outside the city. Maybe they got on the train before us, or maybe they're one of the tranced. But I imagine that the latter isn't good."

"I was with the younger ones when the attacks happened," said Gerlinda. "I made it to the safe zone before Gale and Dad, but I can't remember seeing anycreature you talked about. It was all chaotic when we evacuated Canterlot, and there were so many creatures getting on the trains to leave the mountain. It's hard to tell if I even bumped into one of them."

It was hard to hide the disappointment etching itself onto your face, but you still wanted to drag this out as long as necessary before giving up.

"What about the camp here?" you asked quickly. "Maybe you crossed into somecreature that matches what I told."

Gerlinda was the first one to speak up. "When we all came here together we mainly kept to ourselves. We haven't really traveled far from the tent, besides Gale. I'm sorry, but we haven't seen anyone like the ones you described."

You turned over to the male griffon, who was quick to answer you. "I've been getting out from time to time to stretch my wings while flying around the town, so I haven't really walked around the camp, you know? And though I've been into town a few times, I'm mostly near creatures who've lived here before the explosions occurred."

You looked around for a while, hoping that a buried memory would pop up in one of these creatures' minds and that they would burst with information relevant to your search. As the seconds went on, though, all you received were sad stares from the adults of the room, while the children clanked their pieces on the board game. Eventually, you closed your eyes and let out a sigh.

"Well, thank you for... trying to help," you said with a low tone. "I greatly appreciate it."

"Can I ask what your name is?" asked Gerlinda, her eyes still pitying you.

You told her your name.

"And where are you staying, dear?"

"At the School of Friendship on the north end of town. I'm a student there."

Despite the atmosphere of the tent, Gerlinda summoned a hopeful smile. "Well, I'll try to get out a bit when Gale isn't too busy to watch his siblings. And when that does happen, I'll be sure to be on the lookout for those creatures you mentioned and tell them about you. Just... please don't lose faith."

You smirked, though like with Professor Smolder over an hour ago, you did not know if it was genuine or just done out of politeness.

"I'll try to keep faith," you said. "Thank you."

Turning around, you exited the tent, passing by the entrance flap to enter back into the outside space of the camp. The bright light of the sun stunned you for a bit after being without it for a few minutes, but once you were over it you went over to your parked cart. To your surprise, nocreature seemed to have taken anything out of it, including the clipboard you grabbed, though perhaps that type of thinking was on you for assuming that most creatures would abandon their sense of decency just because they're in a difficult spot. Then again, maybe the guards present were a sort of deterrent against crime. Being isolated in a cell of some sort with limited freedom was probably worse off than living in a tent or wagon.

Grabbing the pencil with your mouth, you crossed off "Tent 42" on the clipboard and read the requested items under "Tent 107". Looking back at the cart, you saw that the requested items for the next tent were the last things present. Therefore, once you were done with your last delivery, you thought it best to return to the reception desk for any more tasks.

Tossing the clipboard back in, you went around the cart and attached the harness to your chest. Knowing where to go, you dragged the cart behind you as you went on your way through the camp. Like before, you took your time as you traveled, being careful to examine the faces of every creature you came across, and being sure to look into the clear, open spaces of whatever tents or wagons you came across. 

Though the idea crossed your mind, you felt like it was best not to intrude on these refugees' personal boundaries, even if you could use the excuse of being a volunteer to bother them. If you were lagging in your responsibilities by asking everycreature here about your family, you would probably have your privileges removed and be kicked out of camp, as the only outsiders allowed were guards and approved volunteers. 

As much as it may be simple blind wishing, you had to hope that you would get lucky and get the information you needed from one of the creatures that you were tasked with helping. You quickly thought back to Gerlinda, the female griffon, who said that she promised to tell your family members where you were if she came across them. It was good to know that somecreature was willing to help you out through your troubles. Indeed, it was really comforting to know that you were not alone in your source.

But... as you were swimming in a sea of good feelings, a question occurred to you that made you stop in your tracks between the rows of tents and wagons. It was a horrifying thought that you were ashamed only came to you now instead of two days ago, and it was so troubling that it gripped your heart in a vice:

Why would your family come to you only when someone told them where you were? 

It was a question that haunted you... because your family should have known where to find you. 

They sent you to the school before summer ended. They knew that you would be in Ponyville.

So if they were here..., why was it taking them so long to find you?

They should have stopped by the school two days ago when they arrived with the rest of the refugees. 

You knew that once the refugees had registered themselves at the camp that they were free to travel amongst the town to look for loved ones and buy supplies if they had enough bits, so there was no excuse for them to have not come to the school and reunite with you.

To hold you.

To see if you were okay.

To tell you that they would not leave you alone again.

So...

Where were they?

With your mouth agape, you remained motionless as creatures walked and flew all around you, oblivious to the nauseating spell that you were under. Your eyes laid on the grass below you, yet a raging shadow soon blinded your vision until you saw the most terrible of things with your new sight. 

Charred black bodies in the aftermath of an explosion.

Bruised corpses lying underneath piles of rubble.

Bloody, half-alive creatures on the brink of death after being crushed by a careless monster.

Body after body, one messed up situation after the next replayed itself in your head. You could smell the iron in the blood underneath your hooves and the burning of skin and fur, and the crying and screaming and begging for late help ran from one ear canal and out of the next. Sensations and noises you have never experienced before began to weigh you down, so much so in fact that you croaked as if you were a frog that was being squeezed by a rough child.

Yet, through the head-spinning, dizzy ordeal, the one thing to bring you out of your hallucinating stupor was a small stream of water that ran down your cheek. 

Feeling the wet and cold sensation, you blinked, and the horror show was soon replaced with fields of grass and the noise of the real world. You looked all around with a blank stare, searching for any telltale signs of death and misery hiding amongst the vibrant and living population. When, to your comfort, nothing was out of order, you brought a hoof up to underneath your eye to wipe away at the wetness.

You can save them for when it becomes true. 

You continued on your way to Tent One Hundred and Seven, making sure to not bump into anycreature as you resumed your pass-by searches. 

You had not received a clear-cut answer yet, so you repressed those bodies deep inside of your mind where they would not pop up again for some time. You just hoped that nothing would ooze from underneath the door of your mental closet.

In time, after just a few minutes, you reached it --- a large, green, rectangular tent with the number sign placed above the entrance flaps. Nocreature was outside near it, so once you parked in front of the tent and left the cart, you approached the entrance and called out with a loud voice.

"Hello? Is anycreature inside? I have some items that somecreature requested!"

"Yeah! Hold on!" you heard a male voice say.

From out of the flaps appeared a light-indigo pegasus stallion with a short dark-blue mane. He appeared to be middle-aged,  had stubble that matched his mane color, and wore both a pair of glasses and a white dress shirt with a black tie. The sight of the stallion, though not objectively offensive, bothered you. For some reason, his appearance reminded you of something unpleasant, but you could not put your tongue on the exact issue.

"Hello, there," the stallion greeted. "Are you a camp worker?"

Caught off guard by his question, you rapidly shook your head to get rid of the confused frown that sprung up. "Um..., yes. I'm a volunteer."

The stallion continued on as he went to the cart. "And I'm guessing that you're here to deliver five notebooks, a typewriter, and a mane brush?"

You went back to the cart too and brought out the clipboard. Despite knowing these were the last items, you wanted to be sure that those at the reception desk still gave you the right things.

"That... seems to be it," you confirmed. 

The stallion smirked. "Yeah. The foals I'm looking after need to keep themselves preoccupied. They're mostly high school seniors, but without any guardians for them to be with, I have to take care of them until this whole thing is over."

You frowned again. "Oh... Well, I hope things get better for them."

Without taking anything, the stallion walked back over to the tent. "Sadly, all we can do is hope. May the princess find a solution soon. But anyway, I need to go talk to another teacher real quick, so I'll get the students who asked for this stuff." The stallion pushed aside one side of the flaps and poked his head inside. "Maple! Valor! Your stuff is here!"

In one instance, you felt as if the ground had vanished from underneath your hooves, and you quickly had to lean yourself against the cart to stop yourself from falling. A thousand cellular and chemical reactions enacted themselves throughout your body, from the blood in your vessels no longer rushing to your brain and making you light-headed and panting, to   your sweat glands going into overdrive underneath your now damp fur. 

So many things occurred in such little time, and it was all because of those two simple names you heard the stallion call out.

You wanted so much to believe that the two ponies you feared seeing the most were not in that tent. In fact, you had a quick moment of doubt that it was truly them. Maple and Valor must have been common names, right? And the stallion did not even mention Maple's full name, so it could be an entirely different creature. But that moment in your head was only quick because you soon remembered that the stallion said that he was looking after high school students.

At that realization, you could feel your shaky legs trying to make a break for it on their own accord, completely disregarding the task you were assigned to and the ulterior motive you had for being at this camp. In these few seconds, you were reduced back to the fearful foal that you were for months before leaving Canterlot, and as you struggled to get back up you knew that you did not want to face that pain again.

"Hey. Are you okay?" you heard the stallion from earshot.

Coming slightly back to your senses, you lifted your head up to address him, and in doing so, you saw that the pegasus was no longer alone. Right to his side were two teenage ponies, one an earth pony and the other a unicorn. The earth pony, a filly, had a hot pink coat, a curly brown mane with a ladybug hairpin, and her agaped mouth revealed her braces. The unicorn, a chubby colt who was shorter than the filly, had a bright yellow coat, a sleek black mane, and an agaped face as well.

You stared at the two younger ponies with their mouths wide open, all while the indigo stallion looked between you and the pair in utter confusion. To be honest, you could not blame the older pony for being befuddled at this awkward contest between the remaining three of you. You truly had no idea of what to say or do.

After all, out of all the places in Equestria that two of your former friends could have ended up at, you never imagined them to meet you right here in Ponyville.